Pairing: demon!Aran x kitsune!reader
Warnings: swearing, mentions of loneliness, blood and gore
Summary: Aran feels a bit unsatisfied with his job sometimes, it gets boring since every day´s the same. The only thing he looks forward to is seeing you bring new souls in.
A/N: this is very self indulgent lol
Taglist: @wansseul @varia-venus @newfriendjen @luvsuna
Aran was the picture perfect soldier. He was strong, tall and most importantly: replaceable.
It was no secret that the devil didn´t care about his soldiers, but it wasn´t just the devil. His soldiers believed it too, they also believed that they held no value despite their muscles.
How could anyone live like that?
Aran always thought that hell´s mentality was fucked up, but this just went too far.
He didn´t want to go to war just to be useful.
What was the point of fighting when you had nothing to protect? When you looked forward to hurting and killing others just to brag about the gruesome details?
It disgusted him to no end.
He was one of the most treasured soldiers to the devil, Aran was such a good fighter that he taught the next generations.
Oh, how he hated it. He was sending those children to a war they couldn´t win, to a war that was constructed just to put a smile on the devil´s face.
Aran despised the retched nature of his ruler.
He couldn´t wait until Kita finally ruled, those last years especially really drained him emotionally.
It was as if the current devil really wanted to make it the worst for everyone involved, he really wanted to leave a mark.
But Aran knew that Kita could fix it and he´d gladly help him with anything he could.
More than anything, he was glad that Kita even sought him out to be part of his empire, it was a great honor.
At first, he really felt relieved knowing he´d never have to fight again, more so, he got to protect the entrance to hell.
The fact that Kita trusted him so much made him incredibly happy, though especially in the beginning, his new task seemed far too great for him.
Over time Aran got used to it, as he had to, he didn´t want to disappoint Kita in any way.
After all he had begged for a life without pointless violence.
The years went by, but still, Aran knew no fulfillment in his life.
That was until he met you.
Or rather, saw you pass through the gate he was guarding.
You were one of the demon foxes who used to be exiled, but returned with Suna and the others.
Everything about you was so graceful and yet playful at the same time.
It intrigued Aran to no end.
At least now, he had something to look forward to every day.
Though, he didn´t quite know how to approach you, he never really learned how to do that in his life, having been raised to kill people rather than get to know them.
However ever since Kita started ruling, Aran noticed that he quite liked having the company of others, often finding himself growing excited at the mere thought of even just talking to anyone.
Maybe that was just his loneliness speaking, though.
He hadn´t noticed the void in his heart when he started the job, but the more time passed, the more lonely he really felt.
It was like everyone appreciated and overlooked him at the same time which gave him mixed feelings.
Aran wasn´t one to need the overwhelming praise of others, but some appreciation from time to time wouldn´t hurt.
“Doesn´t it get lonely guarding us all by yourself?” you smiled, approaching him one day after your daily soul delivery.
“A bit. But that´s a small price to pay considering the great honor this is” he thought out loud, not sounding convinced from his own words at all.
You sat down next to him, resting your head on your hand as you mustered him curiously.
“Hm… still, I wouldn´t like guarding all by myself. No matter how important it is. Being alone is never nice” you stated, staring off into the distance fondly.
Your eyes were sharp, calculating.
Aran had heard stories about the true purpose of your kind, yet he never believed them.
His purpose was to take lives. And yet he didn´t take pride in it.
Demons were much more than what they were made to be.
“I guess it isn´t, but I never had the privilege to think that much about it” he admitted.
Aran was a very loyal man, true to his duty and always giving it his all, leading to the best results naturally.
But carrying the burden of those expectations, not those set by others, but those set by himself, it was harder than anything else in the worlds.
It was overwhelming a lot lately and all he needed was someone to be there for him, even though he couldn´t quite voice it.
The saddest thing when it came to loneliness was not being able to help oneself and not knowing what one needed.
It was like Aran couldn´t do anything about the fact that he was drowning in his negative thoughts.
He wanted to scream for help, but no words came out, only the numbing realization that there was nothing he could change about it. His job was too important to let his emotions to light.
Besides, he was only overreacting after all.
“Well, I´ll keep you company from now on.” you said, determined to make him smile again.
The sad and empty expression on his face made your heart ache for him.
“I´ll look forward to it” he sounded so formal, yet you knew that he truly meant those words.
The next day when you passed through, you went back to Aran after your duty was done, stopping by at the kitchen where Osamu was preparing some food.
You noticed that cooking made him calm down and were glad he always made too much so that you could take some with you to share with Aran.
When you finally made it to the gate again, Aran´s eyes lit up and he gave you a soft smile.
He asked about your day and you tried to make an interesting story out of it, not wanting to bore him.
Your days were also a routine, but you weren´t lonely like Aran since you were always in the company of someone, even if it were just the souls of the ones that passed.
Aran found your laugh infectious and felt his heart beat faster every time you looked at him so intensely.
“Thank you. For keeping me company, it means a lot” he let you know, his eyes looking so gentle and kind.
“Don´t mention it, I like your company a lot” you giggled, making him flustered.
You were very bold and cunning, which was quite the contrast to Aran´s calm nature, but that was what he liked about you.
Now, he finally had something great to look forward to every day.
